Dhoni Heroics take Chennai into Semifinals

April 18, 2010 By: Track Monitor Category: IPL 2010 - IPL 3 No Comments →

Till the last over of this big chase most cricket pundits would have felt Chennai was out of contention, but then Dhoni had other ideas and came to the party big time , with support from Albie Morkel, scored 45 runs in last 3 overs (2 balls to spare) to take chennai to a comfortable victory in the end.

Earlier Shaun Marsh plundered runs against Chennai’s fast men who couldn’t control the Kings XI batsman in a true pitch. Both Jayawardene and Sangakkara provided able to support to Marsh to take the team to a huge total of 192. Irfan Pathan also provided some pyrotechnics in the end. For Chennai R Ashwin bowled in a totally different pitch compared to his teammates containing and picking up wickets.

Kings XI Punjab innings (20 overs maximum) R B 4s 6s SR
DPMD Jayawardene c Tyagi b Morkel 21 8 2 2 262.50
SE Marsh not out 88 57 8 5 154.38
KC Sangakkara*† b Ashwin 33 24 5 0 137.50
Yuvraj Singh lbw b Raina 1 4 0 0 25.00
IK Pathan not out 44 27 4 1 162.96
Extras (lb 2, w 3) 5

Total (3 wickets; 20 overs) 192 (9.60 runs per over)

Chennai Super Kings innings (target: 193 runs from 20 overs) R B 4s 6s SR
M Vijay st †Sangakkara b Powar 13 11 2 0 118.18
ML Hayden c †Sangakkara b Powar 5 8 1 0 62.50
SK Raina c Goel b Theron 46 27 5 3 170.37
S Badrinath st †Sangakkara b Chawla 53 36 7 2 147.22
MS Dhoni*† not out 54 29 5 2 186.20
JA Morkel not out 14 8 2 0 175.00
Extras (lb 5, w 4, nb 1) 10

Total (4 wickets; 19.4 overs) 195 (9.91 runs per over)

Chennai started badly losing Mathew Hayden and  Vijay soon after, but Dhoni made a wise decision to send Badrinath ahead of himself and the pair of Raina and Badri went about nicely setting up a platform for the final assault. But both Raina and Badri couldnt take it till the end, which needed Dhoni and Morkel to seal the deal.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Related posts

4th ODI: India vs Sri Lanka: India lead series with 3-1

December 25, 2009 By: Spunky Category: Cricket News No Comments →

Chasing 316 to win the tie and finish the series with one match to go, India found themselves in trouble when they were at 23/2 before Gambhir (150 not out) and Virat Kohli (107) gave a good partnership stand of 224-runs. This injected a fresh life into the chase and then was completed with Dinesh Karthik’s (19 not out) company.

Gautam Gambhir slammed up his seventh century while Virat Kohli struck his maiden to script India’s series-clinching seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI on Thursday at the Eden Gardens.

India scored 317 runs by losing just 3 wickets and with 11 balls remaining.

Gautam Gambhir was declared man of the match.

Gambhir became the newest member of the 3000-run club. He faced 137 balls in his controlled innings, hitting 14 fours.

Kohli’s mature 114-ball knock was studded with 11 fours and a six.

Earlier, Upul Tharanga (118) hit his seventh ODI century and starred in a 126-run partnership with captain Kumar Sangakkara (60) as Sri Lanka posted 315 for six, the highest score at the venue till India overwhelmed it.

After Tharanga and Sangakkara had laid the perfect platform for a late charge, debutant Thissara Perera hit a 14-ball 31 to make the most of the batting powerplay and help the visitors cross the 300-mark.

Both the teams now move to Delhi for the fifth and final ODI on Sunday.

Tags: , , , , ,

Related posts

Compaq Cup: Match 3: India Vs Sri Lanka: SL batting first

September 12, 2009 By: Spunky Category: Cricket News No Comments →

Compaq Cup is getting ahead to a tough side with India and Sri Lanka facing each other after India knocked out New Zealand from the ongoing Sri Lanka tri-series. Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and chose to bat first in this third ODI at Premadasa Stadium. There is a slightest change in the Sri Lanka team with Thilan Samaraweera out due to injury and being replaced by Chamara Kapugedera. India will be going without any change in the team.
Winning this Compaq cup will take India to the first place in the ODI rankings. The real test for India is on Monday when they face Sri Lanka in finals.
Teams:
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma.
Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Kapugedera, Thilina Kandamby, Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis.

Compaq Cup is getting ahead to a tough side with India and Sri Lanka facing each other after India knocked out New Zealand from the ongoing Sri Lanka tri-series. Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and chose to bat first in this third ODI at Premadasa Stadium. There is a slightest change in the Sri Lanka team with Thilan Samaraweera out due to injury and being replaced by Chamara Kapugedera. India will be going without any change in the team.

Winning this Compaq cup will take India to the first place in the ODI rankings. The real test for India is on Monday when they face Sri Lanka in finals.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Kapugedera, Thilina Kandamby, Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Related posts

Dhoni is number one batsman

September 08, 2009 By: Spunky Category: Cricket News, Player News No Comments →

Indian Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is under threat from his deputy Yuvraj Singh. This is just for the top slop. Dhoni’s number one ODI batsman’s tag could be taken by Yuvraj if Yuvi performs better in the upcoming series.
India is preparing to leave for Sri Lanka for the tri-series which has New Zealand as the third team. Dhoni is the number one batsman in the chart with 44 rating points separating him from second placed Yuvraj. Besides Dhoni and Yuvraj, India have two more batsmen in the top 20. Little master Sachin Tendulkar occupies the 12th position with a place in the top 10 well within his sights, while opener Gautam Gambhir shares the 17th spot with New Zealand’s Ross Taylor.
In the team chart, India trails number-one ranked South Africa by just one ratings point but if it wins all the three matches (including the final), it will gain two ratings points.
However, if India loses one match in the tournament, it will stay on 126 ratings points while defeat in two matches will drop it to 123 ratings points.
Among other, Kumar Sangakkara is the only Sri Lanka batsman inside the top 20, sitting just outside the top 10 in 11th position. Mahela Jayawardena is in 30th position while Tillakeratne Dilshan is 32nd.
In the rankings for ODI bowlers, Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Kulasekara is feeling the pressure from New Zealand duo of Kyle Mills and Daniel Vettori. With only 36 points separating Kulasekara from Vettori, a change at the top of the order looks inevitable.
The 23rd placed Harbhajan Singh is the highest-ranked Indian bowler in the absence of 16th placed Zaheer Khan.

Indian Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is under threat from his deputy Yuvraj Singh. This is just for the top slop. Dhoni’s number one ODI batsman’s tag could be taken by Yuvraj if Yuvi performs better in the upcoming series.

India is preparing to leave for Sri Lanka for the tri-series which has New Zealand as the third team. Dhoni is the number one batsman in the chart with 44 rating points separating him from second placed Yuvraj. Besides Dhoni and Yuvraj, India have two more batsmen in the top 20. Little master Sachin Tendulkar occupies the 12th position with a place in the top 10 well within his sights, while opener Gautam Gambhir shares the 17th spot with New Zealand’s Ross Taylor.

In the team chart, India trails number-one ranked South Africa by just one ratings point but if it wins all the three matches (including the final), it will gain two ratings points.

However, if India loses one match in the tournament, it will stay on 126 ratings points while defeat in two matches will drop it to 123 ratings points.

Among other, Kumar Sangakkara is the only Sri Lanka batsman inside the top 20, sitting just outside the top 10 in 11th position. Mahela Jayawardena is in 30th position while Tillakeratne Dilshan is 32nd.

In the rankings for ODI bowlers, Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Kulasekara is feeling the pressure from New Zealand duo of Kyle Mills and Daniel Vettori. With only 36 points separating Kulasekara from Vettori, a change at the top of the order looks inevitable.

The 23rd placed Harbhajan Singh is the highest-ranked Indian bowler in the absence of 16th placed Zaheer Khan.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

India’s Standing in ICC Test Championship Table

August 05, 2009 By: Spunky Category: Cricket News No Comments →

India have dropped down one place to fourth in the ICC Test Championships table after the annual update released on Tuesday, which reflects the performance of only the last three years with the older results being discarded.
Sri Lanka, riding on their Test series win over Pakistan, leveled India (119) on points but replaced Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team at number three after re-calculation upto the nearest decimal 0.01 ratings points difference.
Australia (124) clung on to the top above second-placed South Africa (122) as just five ratings points separate top four teams.
But Ricky Ponting’s men must win both the remaining Ashes Tests to stay there. Otherwise, it will be Graeme Smith’s turn to lead the number-one Test team in the world.
Australia have led the Test rankings ever since the current method was introduced in May 2003.
The progress of Kumar Sangakkara’s team is due to a consistently high performance during the period of the rankings. In that time, the team has played 10 series, winning six, drawing three and losing just one (in Australia).
No matter how the Ashes finishes, England (99) will remain in fifth position but if the home side wins the series, Australia will drop to fourth position in the Test Championship table.
If the series ends in a 1-1 draw, South Africa will rise to the top. Australia, Sri Lanka and India will all have the same rating, but with Australia still clinging on to second place by a decimal point.
In the batting list, Gautam Gambhir remained on second spot with 847 points behind Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara (862).
Sachin Tendulkar (15th), VVS Laxman (17th) and Virender Sehwag (19th) are the other Indian batsmen in the top 20.
Among bowlers, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan are in top 10 at sixth and ninth respectively while Ishant Sharma is in 19th in the list headed by South African Dale Steyn.
The annual update is carried out to ensure the ICC Test Championship table continues to reflect recent form with older results being discarded.
The table reflects all Test series that were completed since August three years ago. All series played until the start of next August will be added to this table, so by then the ratings will be based on four years of results, with series completed within the last two years carrying greater weight.
Next August the first year of results will be dropped and this pattern is repeated each August, with the oldest of the four years of results removed to be gradually replaced with results of series completed over the following 12 months.
Thus, once a year, the rankings change overnight without any new series being completed.

India have dropped down one place to fourth in the ICC Test Championships table after the annual update released on Tuesday, which reflects the performance of only the last three years with the older results being discarded.

Sri Lanka, riding on their Test series win over Pakistan, leveled India (119) on points but replaced Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team at number three after re-calculation upto the nearest decimal 0.01 ratings points difference.

Australia (124) clung on to the top above second-placed South Africa (122) as just five ratings points separate top four teams.

But Ricky Ponting’s men must win both the remaining Ashes Tests to stay there. Otherwise, it will be Graeme Smith’s turn to lead the number-one Test team in the world.

Australia have led the Test rankings ever since the current method was introduced in May 2003.

The progress of Kumar Sangakkara’s team is due to a consistently high performance during the period of the rankings. In that time, the team has played 10 series, winning six, drawing three and losing just one (in Australia).

No matter how the Ashes finishes, England (99) will remain in fifth position but if the home side wins the series, Australia will drop to fourth position in the Test Championship table.

If the series ends in a 1-1 draw, South Africa will rise to the top. Australia, Sri Lanka and India will all have the same rating, but with Australia still clinging on to second place by a decimal point.

In the batting list, Gautam Gambhir remained on second spot with 847 points behind Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara (862).

Sachin Tendulkar (15th), VVS Laxman (17th) and Virender Sehwag (19th) are the other Indian batsmen in the top 20.

Among bowlers, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan are in top 10 at sixth and ninth respectively while Ishant Sharma is in 19th in the list headed by South African Dale Steyn.

The annual update is carried out to ensure the ICC Test Championship table continues to reflect recent form with older results being discarded.

The table reflects all Test series that were completed since August three years ago. All series played until the start of next August will be added to this table, so by then the ratings will be based on four years of results, with series completed within the last two years carrying greater weight.

Next August the first year of results will be dropped and this pattern is repeated each August, with the oldest of the four years of results removed to be gradually replaced with results of series completed over the following 12 months.

Thus, once a year, the rankings change overnight without any new series being completed.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

2nd Test: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: Pakistan’s turnaround performance on Day 2

July 13, 2009 By: Spunky Category: Cricket News No Comments →

Debutant Fawad Alam scored an unbeaten century as Pakistan produced a remarkable turnaround to claw their way back in the second Test
The tourists, who were bowled out for 90 in their first innings, hit back to dismiss Sri Lanka for 240 and then cruised to 178-1 in their second knock by stumps on the second day.
Left-handed Alam led the way with a determined 102 not out to give Pakistan a lead of 28 runs with nine wickets in hand on a dry pitch that appeared to have eased out under the hot sun.
The fearless 23-year-old from Karachi moved to 98 by lofting left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for a six over mid-wicket and then flicked the next ball for two runs to reach the coveted century. Alam put on 85 for the first wicket with Khurram Manzoor, who made 38 before he was caught behind by wicket-keeper Tillakaratne Dilshan off Herath.
Skipper Younus Khan, who was dismissed for zero in the first innings, was unbeaten on 35 at stumps after adding 93 for the unbroken second wicket with Alam.
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara rotated his seam and spin attack in short bursts to gain quick breakthroughs, but Pakistan’s batsmen were not found wanting a second time.
Pakistan’s fightback was launched by seamer Umar Gul and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who took four wickets each to keep Sri Lanka’s first innings in check.
The hosts lost their last seven wickets for 63 runs after starting the day at a comfortable 164-3.
Sri Lanka won the first Test in Galle by 50 runs last week to take the lead in the three-match series.

Debutant Fawad Alam scored an unbeaten century as Pakistan produced a remarkable turnaround to claw their way back in the second Test

The tourists, who were bowled out for 90 in their first innings, hit back to dismiss Sri Lanka for 240 and then cruised to 178-1 in their second knock by stumps on the second day.

Left-handed Alam led the way with a determined 102 not out to give Pakistan a lead of 28 runs with nine wickets in hand on a dry pitch that appeared to have eased out under the hot sun.

The fearless 23-year-old from Karachi moved to 98 by lofting left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for a six over mid-wicket and then flicked the next ball for two runs to reach the coveted century. Alam put on 85 for the first wicket with Khurram Manzoor, who made 38 before he was caught behind by wicket-keeper Tillakaratne Dilshan off Herath.

Skipper Younus Khan, who was dismissed for zero in the first innings, was unbeaten on 35 at stumps after adding 93 for the unbroken second wicket with Alam.

Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara rotated his seam and spin attack in short bursts to gain quick breakthroughs, but Pakistan’s batsmen were not found wanting a second time.

Pakistan’s fightback was launched by seamer Umar Gul and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who took four wickets each to keep Sri Lanka’s first innings in check.

The hosts lost their last seven wickets for 63 runs after starting the day at a comfortable 164-3.

Sri Lanka won the first Test in Galle by 50 runs last week to take the lead in the three-match series.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Related posts

2nd Test: Sri Lanka Vs Pakistan

July 12, 2009 By: Spunky Category: Cricket News No Comments →

Sri Lanka have never won a home series against Pakistan, but this time they look  to rectify the stats with a dominant performance with ball and bat on the first day at the P Sara Oval. Pakistan had a horrible batting display in Galle, but they sunk even lower here, being bundled out for an embarrassing 90 after winning the toss. Sri Lanka’s batsmen, led by Captain Kumar Sangakkara, then gave them a batting lesson, easing to 164 for 3, already 74 in front.
The pitch was favourable for the bowlers, but by no means was batting as difficult as the Pakistan batsmen made it out to be. Sri Lanka’s bowlers Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara and Angelo Mathews pitched it in the corridor, got movement in the air and off the pitch, and that combination was far too dangerous for Pakistan’s diffident top order. Kulasekara was the pick of the lot, wrecking the top order and finishing with well-deserved figures of 4 for 21, while the rest offered excellent support.
To their credit, Pakistan didn’t lose the plot in the field, taking three wickets and creating more opportunities. Malinda Warnapura fell to a rough lbw decision, Tharanga Paranavitana got an under edge after looking solid for his 26, while an out-of-sorts Mahela Jayawardene was trapped by a superb delivery which spun and bounced.
Pakistan’s fast bowlers ran in tirelessly, but the one who looked most likely to take wickets was Ajmal, the offspinner. On a dry pitch where the odd ball was already showing signs of misbehaving, Ajmal had most of the Sri Lankan batsmen in a spot of bother. Unfortunately for Pakistan, they gave away so much ground in the first three hours of play that it’ll require a exceptional effort for them to stay in this match, and the series.
Stats:
Pakistan’s first innings total 90 is their lowest against Sri Lanka and their seventh-lowest in all. Their previous lowest against Sri Lanka had been 117 only a week back in Galle.
Pakistan team lasted only 36 overs which being their third-lowest in the first innings of a match.
Abdur Rauf faced 34 balls for his duck. It’s the second-longest for Pakistan, in terms of balls faced, and the 12th-longest in all.
The number of ducks in the Pakistan innings was 4, which is the highest for them against Sri Lanka. Their highest against any team is six, versus West Indies in Karachi in 1980-81.

Sri Lanka have never won a home series against Pakistan, but this time they look  to rectify the stats with a dominant performance with ball and bat on the first day at the P Sara Oval. Pakistan had a horrible batting display in Galle, but they sunk even lower here, being bundled out for an embarrassing 90 after winning the toss. Sri Lanka’s batsmen, led by Captain Kumar Sangakkara, then gave them a batting lesson, easing to 164 for 3, already 74 in front.

The pitch was favourable for the bowlers, but by no means was batting as difficult as the Pakistan batsmen made it out to be. Sri Lanka’s bowlers Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara and Angelo Mathews pitched it in the corridor, got movement in the air and off the pitch, and that combination was far too dangerous for Pakistan’s diffident top order. Kulasekara was the pick of the lot, wrecking the top order and finishing with well-deserved figures of 4 for 21, while the rest offered excellent support.

To their credit, Pakistan didn’t lose the plot in the field, taking three wickets and creating more opportunities. Malinda Warnapura fell to a rough lbw decision, Tharanga Paranavitana got an under edge after looking solid for his 26, while an out-of-sorts Mahela Jayawardene was trapped by a superb delivery which spun and bounced.

Pakistan’s fast bowlers ran in tirelessly, but the one who looked most likely to take wickets was Ajmal, the offspinner. On a dry pitch where the odd ball was already showing signs of misbehaving, Ajmal had most of the Sri Lankan batsmen in a spot of bother. Unfortunately for Pakistan, they gave away so much ground in the first three hours of play that it’ll require a exceptional effort for them to stay in this match, and the series.

Stats:

  • Pakistan’s first innings total 90 is their lowest against Sri Lanka and their seventh-lowest in all. Their previous lowest against Sri Lanka had been 117 only a week back in Galle.
  • Pakistan team lasted only 36 overs which being their third-lowest in the first innings of a match.
  • Abdur Rauf faced 34 balls for his duck. It’s the second-longest for Pakistan, in terms of balls faced, and the 12th-longest in all.
  • The number of ducks in the Pakistan innings was 4, which is the highest for them against Sri Lanka. Their highest against any team is six, versus West Indies in Karachi in 1980-81.
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

ICC World Twenty20: Next Champions Pakistan

June 22, 2009 By: Spunky Category: Champions Trophy 2009 No Comments →

Pakistan won by 8 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)
Sri Lanka innings (20 overs maximum)
T Dilshan c S Hasan b M Aamer 0
S Jayasuriya b A Razzaq 17
J Mubarak c S Hasan b A Razzaq 0
K Sangakkara not out 64
M Jayawardene c Haq b Razzaq 1
LPC Silva c Ajmal b Gul 14
I Udana b Afridi 1
A Mathews not out 35
Extras (lb 3, w 2, nb 1) 6
Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) 138
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-2, 3-26, 4-32, 5-67, 6-70
Bowling: Mohammad Aamer: 4-1-30-1-7.50,Abdul Razzaq:3-0-20-3-6.66,Shahid Afridi:4-0-20-1-5.00,Saeed Ajmal:4-0-28-0-7.00,Shoaib Malik:1-0-8-0-8.00,Umar Gul:4-0-29-1-7.25
Pakistan innings (target: 139 runs from 20 overs)
Kamran Akmal st Sangakkara b Jayasuriya 37
Shahzaib Hasan c Jayasuriya b Muralitharan 19
Shahid Afridi not out 54
Shoaib Malik not out 24
Extras (lb 2, w 2, nb 1) 5
Total (2 wickets; 18.4 overs) 139
Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-63
Bowling: AD Mathews:2-0-17-0-8.50,I Udana:4-0-44-0-11.00,SL Malinga:3.4-0-14-0-3.81,M Muralitharan:3-0-20-1-6.66,BAW Mendis:4-0-34-0-8.50,ST Jayasuriya:2-0-8-1-4.00
Pakistan won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20
Man of the Match: Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
Man of the series: TM Dilshan (Sri Lanka)

Pakistan won the ICC World Twenty20 by 8 wickets with 8 balls remaining.

Scoreboard:

Sri Lanka innings (20 overs maximum)

T Dilshan c S Hasan b M Aamer 0

S Jayasuriya b A Razzaq 17

J Mubarak c S Hasan b A Razzaq 0

K Sangakkara not out 64

M Jayawardene   c Haq b Razzaq 1

LPC Silva c Ajmal b Gul 14

I Udana b Afridi 1

A Mathews not out 35

Extras (lb 3, w 2, nb 1) 6

Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) 138

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-2, 3-26, 4-32, 5-67, 6-70

Bowling: Mohammad Aamer: 4-1-30-1-7.50,Abdul Razzaq:3-0-20-3-6.66,Shahid Afridi:4-0-20-1-5.00,Saeed Ajmal:4-0-28-0-7.00,Shoaib Malik:1-0-8-0-8.00,Umar Gul:4-0-29-1-7.25

Pakistan innings (target: 139 runs from 20 overs)

Kamran Akmal st Sangakkara b Jayasuriya 37

Shahzaib Hasan        c Jayasuriya b Muralitharan 19

Shahid Afridi not out 54

Shoaib Malik not out 24

Extras (lb 2, w 2, nb 1) 5

Total (2 wickets; 18.4 overs) 139

Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-63

Bowling: AD Mathews:2-0-17-0-8.50,I Udana:4-0-44-0-11.00,SL Malinga:3.4-0-14-0-3.81,M Muralitharan:3-0-20-1-6.66,BAW Mendis:4-0-34-0-8.50,ST Jayasuriya:2-0-8-1-4.00

Man of the Match: Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)

Man of the series: TM Dilshan (Sri Lanka)

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Match 11: West Indies Vs Sri Lanka: Gayle uncertain against Lankans

June 10, 2009 By: Spunky Category: Champions Trophy 2009 No Comments →

The West Indies captain Chris Gayle is carrying an injury after being struck near the knee by Mitchell Johnson and is an uncertain starter for their final group game against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge on Wednesday. Gayle said he would bat during the team’s practice session and decide on his participation afterwards.

Gayle almost single-handedly led West Indies to victory against Australia at The Oval on June 6.

Gayle had not batted during West Indies’ training session yesterday and today he did not bowl or field. However, he batted for a short while and, although he wasn’t able to move his feet smoothly, he still managed to hit the ball powerfully. If the injury improves by tomorrow afternoon it is likely that Gayle will take the field because he emphasised the importance of beating Sri Lanka to keep the momentum going.

If Gayle is forced to rest, though, it won’t upset West Indies too much because both they and Sri Lanka have qualified for the Super Eights from group C by beating Australia. West Indies will be pooled with India, England and South Africa in the next round.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Related posts

Match 8: Australia Vs Sri Lanka: Australia makes early exit

June 09, 2009 By: Spunky Category: Champions Trophy 2009 No Comments →

Team Australia under the Captain Ricky Ponting is set to leave their ICC World T20 2009 after their early exit from the tournament.

Australia lasted just four days in the tournament, only Scotland and Bangladesh exited earlier, losing first to West Indies by seven wickets and then by six to Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge on Monday night.

After the half-centuries posted by Tillekeratne Dilshan (53) and Kumar Sangakkara (55 not out) that helped the Sri Lanka go through to the Super Eights, Ponting said that they had moved in with high expectations.

The job was done with six balls to spare, after Ajantha Mendis (3-20) had helped to restrict Australia to only 159 for nine.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Related posts


Switch to our mobile site